Formerly an area of fields with occasional smallholdings and farms, Holbrooks began to develop during the course of the First World War.
The building of munitions works at the then northern limit of the City of Coventry mean that housing for workers had to be constructed in a short period of time. The earliest church of Saint Luke’s was constructed in 1916 of cinder blocks at the junction of Lythalls Lane and Holbrook Lane. It began life as a mission church of Saint Paul’s, Foleshill in which parish Holbrooks was originally situated.
Next door a wooden hut served for many years as a venue for local community activities. With the opening of many more factories and works locally, the area expanded quickly, and plans were made for a new, purpose-built church.
The parish of Holbrooks was created in 1935 with Fr Charles Dodd as its first parish priest. From its beginnings, Saint Luke’s has fostered a Catholic tradition and a regular round of sacramental worship has been maintained.
The new church was built on Rotherham Road and completed in 1939 to the designs of N. F. Chachemaille-Day. The exterior was of red brick, and notable features were an external altar and pulpit, and concrete windows. Sadly, only a few months after its consecration, the church was rendered unusable by bombing in the 1940 Coventry Blitz. After several years the church was repaired and restored to its original appearance. A Parish Centre was added in the 1960s during the nearly forty-year incumbency of the much loved Fr Henry Hughes.
Saint Luke’s has always been a church with a welcoming atmosphere, in which visitors feel immediately at home. Alterations to the interior over the years have opened up the chancel, improved lines of sight, and introduced more light into the building. Following the collapse of its canopy on Pentecost Sunday in 2022, a major project is currently underway to restore the external pulpit.
Today Saint Luke’s remains a sign of Christ’s presence in Holbrooks, continuing to offer parishioners a place where they can meet with fellow-worshippers, bring their deepest needs and concerns before God, and also mark personal and family events, whether happy or sad.
